A Study on Succession of Sacred Trees in Central Tokyo

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the succession of sacred trees in central Tokyo from “Edo Meisho Zue”. As a result, it was clarified that the living trees are protected for longevity, and that the dead trees would be replaced by the second-generation and later sacred trees. Moreover, the surviving trees tended to become more important due to their history and the strength to survive the Great Kanto Earthquake and war damage. On the other hand, it was shown that there was a tendency to worship the first dead tree from the recognition that the first tree is the sacred tree.